ChApter 3 | CHOOSING THE RIGHT BUSINESS | 29Business Description for Antoinette’s Dress Shop
Antoinette’s Dress Shop will be a women’s
retail clothing store designed to serve the
growing market of professional working
women. Our store will buy clothing and
accessories from the most popular labels
that provide consistent quality and service.
Antoinette’s Dress Shop will resell them “as
is” to our target market. Antoinette’s will
specialize in fashionable, reasonably priced
clothing suitable to this city’s working
environment. Th e store will sell a limited line
of sportswear or leisure wear. We will carry
business suits, pantsuits, and dresses for
daytime wear, together with accessories like
purses and belts. We will make prompt minor
alterations at no charge.
Antoinette’s will regularly publish a
newsletter containing clothing tips for working
women, which we will send to customers on
our email list. We will maintain a fi le on each
customer that contains their size and style
and color preferences. Antoinette’s willschedule fashion shows for our customer base
as a marketing device.
Antoinette’s will off er a relaxed atmosphere
with personalized attention and unlimited
fi tting-room time. Our store will feature a
contemporary design and inviting feeling.
All our employees will be knowledgeable
about fashion in general and about the
clothing we sell. Antoinette’s will be located
in approximately 2,000 square feet in the
downtown mall and will maintain regular
mall hours of Monday through Friday from
11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays
from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Th ese hours
will be a convenience to our customer base.
Th e store will not off er delivery on a regular
basis, although we will off er Federal Express
shipments when requested and we will
maintain a website together with an active
email correspondence with customers so they
can express their feelings about any concerns.- Is it better to be in a shopping center
with high rents and operating restrictions,
or in a separate location with lower
costs and less drive-by or walk-by
traffi c? - How much inventory will I buy in
comparison to my expected sales
revenues? (This is a critical question in
the retail fi eld and deserves your close
attention.)
Wholesale- Which product lines will I carry in
inventory and which will I order as
required? - Will I carry accounts for my customers
or work on cash only? - Are there any exclusive distributorships
available to me? - Will I have to market all the products
myself or will the manufacturers have
marketing programs?